Falling Elevators
by hungry hobo
Summary: Because seductful red dresses, faulty electrical wiring, and playing nurse was exactly what Felicity had planned for her lunch break.
1. Chapter 1

Her first mistake is picking up the phone.

Felicity has a stack of documents gathered in her arms when the phone rings. His voice hasn't changed in the four years she hasn't seen him, the same gravel crunch growl. It leaves her ear buzzing, and it is a despicable taste of humiliation and fear when her knees give.

….

Oliver wraps up his meeting with the board and returns to his office. He's checking his computer and looks up just in time to see a shower of paper fall around a slump of blonde hair and deep purple.

It takes him a total of five long strides to reach her.

She almost notices how his hands are on her face, but her gaze is on the butterfly cracks stretched across her phone.

He follows her stare to it and asks, "Who called?"

She doesn't answer, but when he makes a grab for it, she is a flurry of limbs and snatches it from his finger. Her mouth provides the one excuse he won't question. "My mother."

It works. She's not sure she wanted it to.

….

Diggle finds himself in a situation he's not all too comfortable with. Oliver has a pair of binoculars glued to his eyes when he motions to the right.

He sighs and tries "And why exactly are we following Felicity?"

"We're just making sure she gets home safe since she wouldn't let me drive her home." He sounds resentful.

Diggle frowns. Oliver notices and asks "What's wrong?"

"This isn't the way to Felicity's house."

"What!"

They follow her deeper into the Glades. She finally pulls into an empty lot. The street is deserted. They can see her fumbling with something to her right. Diggle shares a questioning look with Oliver.

….

She idles at the wheel beford pulling her hair loose. It falls in a tumble of curls over her shoulders. Slowly, she steps out the car.

Oliver nudges Diggle, motioning at the man who had suddenly appeared in front of Felicity.

"Hello, Meghan."

...

The fear has subsided by now, and she wears forlorn weariness.

"What do you want?"

He moves closer. "Really now, is that all I get? No kiss hello?"

Her eyes are narrow and warning.

Hands up and out of his pockets, "Okay, okay. I need you rhelp with a comission. It requires the skill of someone tech savy, and who else but smokingSmoak?"

"No."

He kicks at a crushed can and looks her straight in the eye, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

"Meghan, whatever did I do to make you think you actually have a choice? Tell me, and I'll do my best to mend it. Oh, and if I remember correctly, didn't Mr. Edward Rockwell leave behind a bouncing baby brat? What was his name?" He juts his face into hers. "Oh yeah, Ronnie."

She gets angry at that and lunges. He dances out her reach, mocking and sneering.

Until she whips out a gun.

Pause. Rewind. Start.

It's a roar of laughter now. "Meghan, as if you could shoot that. It's been a long time, but not that long."

Wiping away a tear, he moves a second too late at the click that goes off. The bullet tears through his left shoulder. She stumbles a step back, unaccustomed to the backlash.

"You shot me!"

"Obviously," she breathes.

Clutching at his wound he asks, "You're not afraid? I thought you were afraid. "

"I just shot you."

"Yes. Ha, yes you did."

She motions for him to get closer. " C'mon, let's get you patched up. I've got a first aid kit."

...

It takes all of Diggle's strenght to hold back Oliver.

...


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **The story will alternate between the past and present / Because isn't it more fun to have a flock of Wilsons harrass Felicity?

Felicity is sixteen and the summer night is warm on her shoulders.

She tugs down the black dress that's hitched up her thighs and hauls the garbage out into the back alley, toes digging into her too high heels. She jerks to a stop, almost toppling over.

Moonlight shines down on a splayed figure on the ground, long white hair fanned out around her like a halo.

She drops the trash when she notices the small puddle of blood leaking out of the girl in front of her. She nervously takes note of two long blades strewn around her.

"Oh... What am I going to do?"

...

She is suprisingly heavy, but Felicity grits her teeth and walks up six flights of stairs. She walks them back down and erases the trail of blood.

She spends the rest of the night washing the stains out of her uniform and chasing mystery girl's fever away.

Three hours of sleep is a snatch of heaven.

...

Rose wakes in a fit, breath harsh. Alert, tense, and ready to pounce, it takes her a second to notice she's not bound or gagged. She can hear a faint clatter of plates.

Fresh bandages are wrapped around her abdomen, wound clumsily but attentively attended to.

The room is small but clean and bright, curtains pulled back to let the sunlight in. In the right corner lies a mountain of electronic appliances, some half pulled apart. Across from her is a miniature library, stocked to the ceiling.

She finds her swords on the floor beside the bed, clean and no traces of blood. The clanging stops.

A girl appears in the doorway. Small and lithe, her hair is a dark brown that falls in waves over her shoulders. "You're up."

Rose stares at her, takes in her posture, expression, the way she holds herself.

"Why didn't you call the police?"

She looks at her, tilts her head, an embarrassed look flitting across her face. "Um, well first of all, I don't think you would've appreciated that," motioning toward her swords.

She turns and brings in a tray of scrambled eggs, toast, and orange juice. "That and I kind of lied about my age to the casino I work at, and that would put a real damper on me trying to get into a good college with a, y'know, full scholarship. Proof of a criminal history is a no no for me right now. "

She hands her the tray and continues, "You have no idea how glad I am you're awake."

Rose laughs. "That's a first."

"Really? You look so interesting." She snatches some toast and settles beside her.

"Well, I'm Felicity Smoak. Should I call you Dimachaerus or do I get a name?"

"Rose. Rose Wilson."

She smiles wryly.

"Dimachaerus? What is that anyways?"

...

Rose stays with her for the summer. Wandering from casino to casino with Felicity as a guide.

She's looking for her uncle to repay him for the gaping hole he left in her belly.

"Your dad's brother? And I thought my family was jacked up... here try this."

She hands her a cup of a pink fizzing drink.

"It's rose soda. Got it at the little store around the corner where they sell that sweet bread. Anyways what where you saying about your dad?"

"Well, I never knew him, but after my mom passed away his wife kind of tracked me down, took me in."

Felicity raises an eyebrow, "Let's hear it for abandonment issues!"

"A toast to shitty fathers!"

"Hear, hear! Hey, wait... isn't that your brother? The one from the photograph..." Felicity points across the street to a boy across the street, sitting on the curb. Blonde curls and a blue hoodie, he stares at the passing cars.

"Joseph! "


End file.
